FIG. 1 illustrates an organ type of accelerator pedal, as an example of related art vehicle accelerator pedals. The related art accelerator pedal includes a pedal arm housing 1 securely mounted to a frame panel placed below a driver's seat, and a pedal arm 2 with one end rotatably connected to the pedal arm housing 1. A pedal bracket 3 is securely mounted to a floor panel placed below the driver's seat. A pedal pad 4 with one end rotatably connected to the pedal bracket 3 is coupled to the pedal arm 2 by ball joint.
A spring plate 5, located in the pedal arm housing 1, is combined with an end of the pedal arm 2. An end of a spring 6, in the pedal arm housing, is held by the spring plate 5 and another end of the spring 6 is held by the pedal arm housing 1.
When the pedal arm 2, according to the related art accelerator pedal, is rotated around a hinge shaft 7, the spring 6 is elastically compressed and forms a pedal effort of the pedal pad 4.
However, the above-mentioned related art accelerator pedal uses a spring having a predetermined elastic modulus as the spring 6 to meet the safety laws and regulations, and thus the pedal effort of the related art accelerator pedal cannot be changed if the spring 6 is not changed. Further, in the related art accelerator pedal, accelerator pedal effort of a vehicle cannot be varied according to APS operation percentages when the vehicle is being driven, thus inconveniencing the driver.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and should not be construed as being included in the related art that is already known by those skilled in the art.